Team news

Pair back for North End Graham Westley could bolster his Preston squad with returning duo Iain Hume and Paul Coutts for the visit of Walsall.

Canadian forward Hume has not featured since the New Year's Eve defeat to Sheffield Wednesday due to a hamstring injury but completed 45 minutes for the Lilywhites' second string last week.

Coutts served the second game of a two-match ban for collecting 10 yellow cards when North End went down 2-1 to Sheffield United last weekend.

It remains to be seen whether Coutts will come straight back into the first-team picture after Westley stripped the midfielder of the captaincy after questioning his attitude since arriving as manager last month.

Elsewhere, striker Jamie Proctor is out with a groin injury, defender David Gray has a hamstring problem and midfielder Danny Mayor is nursing a muscle strain.

Neil Mellor (knee) remains a long-term absentee.

Adam Chambers will miss the trip as resurgent Walsall aim to record a third straight league win.

The midfielder sustained a foot injury late on in Tuesday's massive 1-0 victory at relegation rivals Scunthorpe and was subsequently left walking on crutches.

Daryl Westlake will be assessed as he looks to return from his ankle injury, although the defender is unlikely to feature in manager Dean Smith's matchday 16 in any case.

The Saddlers otherwise boast a fully-fit squad for the encounter and travel to Deepdale full of confidence having secured back-to-back league victories for the first time since August 2010.

Preston vs Walsall

Last modified 17:32 25/02/12

Saddlers held at Preston Florent Cuvelier went from hero to villain as his second-half miss cost Walsall the chance of securing a third successive league win after a goalless draw at Preston.

The 19-year-old, who joined on loan from Stoke last month, was the Saddlers matchwinner at Scunthorpe on Tuesday, but he pulled the best chance of the game wide as the spoils were shared.

The first half was punctuated by a horrific injury to Preston's Adam Barton, who had to be stretchered off after an innocuous challenge in the 20th minute.

There were 11 minutes of first-half stoppage time with Preston twice denied an opener deep into it by David Grof.

The Walsall keeper first turned over Graham Cummins' improvised flick and from the resulting corner he brilliantly palmed away Chris Holroyd's diving header.

But it was the Saddlers who should have wrapped up the points as Cuvelier fired wide after the break and Jamie Paterson's deflected effort clipped the bar.